Rodrigo waits to learn his Leeds United role but £27m club record price tag is no pressure

The Whites paid Valencia £27m for the 29-year-old, beating Rio Ferdinand's club record transfer fee by £9m.

But Leeds have had to wait to get their hands on their new toy, with Rodrigo called up for Spain's Nations League games against Germany and Ukraine.

Only now can he train with his new club at Thorp Arch, where he hopes to get a better idea of the role (or roles) coach Bielsa has earmarked for him. In recent seasons Rodrigo has been most often used at centre-forward but he is comfortable out wide or in the hole between midfield and attack.

Speaking whilst still away with his country last week, he admitted he was yet to meet Bielsa and find out what the Argentinian wanted.

“I was in Leeds last week but I was in quarantine,” he explained. “I need to talk with them, adapt myself to the style of the team and of course I can play as a forward, a central striker, a winger, so it depends on the tactics. I can adapt.

“I need to adapt to the the team and the league but I'm ready to help Leeds.”

Rodrigo's price tag and his pedigree are bound to bring high expectations at a club whose biggest weakness last season was arguably a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, but his track record shows a player who is as much a maker as a taker of goals. He does not think his cost will add any extra pressure, though.

“It's an honour for me,” he said of finally taking a club transfer record that had stood for nearly two decades. “When I arrived in Valencia I was at the time the most expensive (player in their history). Of course it's not extra pressure, it's something natural, something that is part of my professional life. I just want to work hard, feel comfortable and show my football and have a great performance.”

After a successful season-long loan from Benfica, Rodrigo's move to the Mestalla was made permanent at a cost of £27m in 2015. That record was only surpassed by winger Goncalo Guedes two years ago.

Rodrigo played the full 90 minutes of Thursday's 1-1 draw in Germany, but was an unused substitute for the 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine.

His Leeds debut could come in the Premier League opener at Liverpool on Saturday but given the way Bielsa likes his players to take time to integrate into his system and prove their fitness, there are no guarantees, even for a player of his quality.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you,

James Mitchinson